Legami Familiari
by A Polar Bear
Summary: There are people in this world who think everyone they care about would stay by their side through thick and thin. But then they find out that isn't the case, that their friends have sold them out for personal gains, that their illusions have failed, and they die stupid. This is a story of how in a world of corruption, people you can truly trust are as precious as diamonds.
1. Casualty

A dark empty room was briefly illuminated by a bar of light as the front door opened and shut. The room was then permanently lit when the ceiling lights were then turned on, and the empty room now held the disheveled figure of TK.

His dark cerulean eyes surveyed his living room briefly before he roughly kicked off his shoes and stepped inside. He forcefully flung the folder he held across the room, its contents scattering and landing strewn over the large room. Not that he cared.

TK paced into the kitchen. He took out 3 bottles of beer from the refrigerator, slammed the door shut, and paced back out into the living room. He dropped himself on his large L-shaped couch, pulling a TV remote from the crease between the cushions, and began flicking through the 300 plus channels on his 50" plasma.

Landing on a late night drama that he took mild interest in, the blonde used his teeth to force open the cap on his beer, and began chugging from the bottle. He was determined to do anything to forget what had happened.

An hour later, TK was scraping the bottom of his last bottle. He had removed his white shirt and it now lay in a heap on the ground where he had thrown it.

The drama ended in a predictable finale, and TK was now flicking through channels again. But despite his full intention to try to forget the last few days of events, he found himself staring at the News Channel. Some overly made up anchorwoman slut was reading off tonight's report from her notes.

"...where he made an announcement regarding his plans of action against the White Tiger Mafia syndicate."

The News cut to a view of a teary eyed but determined man standing at a podium with many microphones pointed at him. TK recognized him all too well. Tai.

The brown haired Head of Police began speaking, his tone forceful and empowering as usual, but laced with the occasional tremble, unable to fully repress his despair.

"We pledge to use our full force to...to disband and bring justice to the crime lords who infest our beautiful city. It...I express regret that it has taken...taken such a long time for us to fully act against the White Tigers, but I assure you, that we have the resolve to never stop until every one of those scoundrel are behind bars..."

"The full statement and other interviews are available on ." The anchorwoman stated as they cut back to the newsroom. "This statement came after Kari Kamiya, Crime Lab photographer and younger sister to Head of Police Tai Kamiya, was found dead in the Rogers Telecom building, apparently killed by those working under the White Tiger Mafia. Police arrived at the sc-"

The rest of the report was cut off after a beer bottle struck the TV screen, making it topple over and spark.

TK was breathing heavily, completely losing his calm demeanor, his confident composure. With a yell, he sent the other two bottles hurling at a picture of himself and his older brother Matt standing side by side. The framed photo dropped from the wall as the two bottles exploded against it.

Kicking the coffee table aside, TK stomped up the stairs towards his bedroom. He kicked open the door, breaking the knob in the process.

He went up to his large bed, grabbed the heavy blanket, and threw it as hard as he could against the wall. He flopped himself down on his stomach, alcohol fuelling his anger and despair.

He had lived by himself for a long time, but he never felt so cold, so alone on his bed than at that moment.

He finally allowed his overwhelming sadness to take over, and he cried into his pillow, trying to convince himself that he could continue to live his life without being tortured by the memories of her.

**12 days ago**

Ken walked briskly along the busy city streets, the sun shining off his blueish black hair. It was a rather hot day, and he was sweating slightly under his expensive suit. But he was otherwise brimming with happiness. Today his career will take a great step forward.

Ever since the death of his older brother Sam, Ken had vigorously trained himself in the art of fighting. From handguns to hand to hand combat. All so that he could protect those important to him.

He has taken these skills into the industries. Toronto has become a dangerous place due to the increasing Mafia presence. The police? Half of them were probably bribed under their influence. The head of police has yet to take serious action against the Crime Families in the city. So businesses have taken to hiring private security against the Mafia Syndicate. Ken was an immediate candidate, and has worked for a myriad of small businesses across the city.

But this would be his biggest job yet. One of his close friends, Matt, has called him, saying that the police Chief, Tai, wishes for his services. Protect his younger sister while he is out of town. A high profile, dangerous job with staggering rewards. Ken felt very lucky he had trustworthy connections like Matt.

And so he whistles a tune while he strolls to the predetermined meeting location. Soon he came to the glass rotating doors of the Scotiabank office building. Matt has said to meet here no later than 10:00 am. He checked his Rolex. It was 9:45. He prides himself in being punctual. He confidently pushed into the building.

Ken had hoped to see Matt there to receive him. He would feel more comfortable being introduced to the Chief of Police with a friend to vouch for him. Matt had taken the initiative to help him get his first security jobs in the past, and he hoped he would once again help make a good impression.

But Ken saw nobody resembling even a police officer in the lobby. Was he too early? It was only 15 minutes to 10:00, couldn't be. Trying to search for his contact in the crowds of patrons moving around, Ken squeezed through to a receiving desk.

"Excuse me," he called out to the receptionist. The well dressed lady turned from her computer. "I am looking for the Chief of Police, Tai Kamiya, or Agent Matt Ishida for a prearranged meeting, could you tell me where I may find them?" He asked in his smooth, calming voice.

The receptionist eyed him. "I need to know your name, please." She said in a crisp voice.

"Oh, yes. Ken Ichijouji."

"One second..." She rapidly moved her hands over her keyboard. Ken felt irrationally nervous as he listened to the clacks of typing.

"Ah yes. Down the hall to your right, they are in conference room 120."

"Thank you very much." He set off immediately in that direction. He was a bit surprised, as he expected to have met up with them in the lobby, or have been received by a policeman. But he paid little mind to it.

He recognized the room he wanted before he even saw the number, the two police officers standing guard on either side of the entrance was more than enough a hint. He hesitated before stepping up to the two armed cops, his shy nature ever the annoyance in these situations.

"Good morning, umm, I have a meeting with the Chief of Police, Tai Kamiya in about 10 minutes."

The two guards exchanged a glance that made Ken feel rather uneasy. Somehow, this golden opportunity for him has not been off to the best of starts. He convinced himself it was just his pessimism working its magic.

"Identification, and security registration, please."

He complied, taking his driver's license and standard security license from his card holder. The two policemen browsed over the cards, a slight frown creased on their faces. Finally, with a shake of the head, the policeman returned his IDs.

"Go ahead," the uniformed man sighed. Ken was a bit taken aback. Why did the guard look so...disappointed? Perhaps it was that Ken did not fit the physique of the average well trained bodyguard, with his pale skin and slim build.

Entering the room lit by white fluorescent light, he saw two other figures turn to him, and he immediately felt something was off.

Usually as the head of the police force, Tai would always appear well dressed and properly postured. But now, the brown haired young man sat leaned back against an armchair, his suit unbuttoned, tie undone, and with a slight frown on his face. His blond haired friend Matt stood opposite to Tai, arms crossed, looking just as discontent.

Ken felt his confidence evaporate. He hastily cleared his throat. "Good morning, my name is Ken Ichijouji, registered freelance security and bodyguard. It's a pleasure to meet you." He carefully addressed Tai.

The laid back police Chief regarded him for a moment. It wasn't a scrutinizing or intimidating look, but nonetheless Ken was sweating bricks.

"Well then, please take a seat." Tai's voice revealed nothing. He palmed to an empty chair, which Ken sat down nervously at.

Chief Tai let out a small sigh, and sat up, buttoning up his suit, not bothering to fix back up his tie. Ken stole a glance to Matt, who gave a weak smile back. Now it was irrefutable. Something was up, and suddenly this job interview has become one of the tensest places the blue haired young man has been to.

"Well, then." Tai began. "My name is Tai Kamiya, I am the Chief of Police for the TPS and OPP operating in Toronto and the GTA. The youngest to reach this position, I might add."

Ken saw Matt roll his eyes exasperatedly. He heard from Matt that Tai was the closest of friends to him, despite a rather boastful attitude. Although 25 years of age was truly quite young for a police Chief.

"You've seemed to already be acquainted with Matty here, a Provincial Agent specialized in undercover cases." Matty shot the police chief a rueful look for the nickname.

"I have..." Ken answered.

"Alright, now that the pleasantries are dispatched, let's get down to business." Tai said coolly.

Ken straightened out, determined to keep his composure despite the unusual circumstances.

"Firstly, I hope you have an adequate explanation for being nearly 2 hours late for our arrangement."

That served to screw up whatever order Ken had managed to restore in his brain. What the fuck does he mean 2 hours late? He had checked to make sure the time on his Rolex and Blackberry were correct, and he was sure Matt had told him to meet here at 10:00 am.

"...erm...pardon?" Ken managed to get out.

"Our meeting was to take place at 8:00 this morning. It is nearly 10:00." Tai raised his watch hand. "Matt has given me the impression that you were a punctual, reliable person."

"He is, usually." Matt spoke in his calm voice for the first time since Ken saw him. "Ken is the kind of person who would hold to a schedule without fail, and live up to all his promises. I'm certain there is a legitimate excuse for his lateness."

Ken actually felt a bit insulted for being called late. "I'm sorry, there must have been a miscommunication. Matt, I specifically remember you telling me that the meeting was to happen at 10:00 am today." He tried to keep his voice non-frantic.

Matt frowned. "I am certain that I told you we were to meet at 8:00 am. We discussed head to head a week ago at High Park, right?"

Ken nodded vigorously.

"Then I've no doubt that I said 8:00, not 10:00. How on earth did you mix up the times so-"

"This conversation's turning irrelevant." Tai cut in dryly. "Our meeting and subsequent interview should have happened a long time ago, Mr Ichijouji. I am a busy man, I cannot spare the time for such trivial idiocy. Now tell us why you were so late."

Great, now in addition to being falsely accused of being late, he was being called an idiot. Ken was sure, absolutely, unequivocally sure, that Matt had told him 10:00. But why would Matt lie like that? He was one of his closest, most trusted friends. "I...I..."

"There must be a good reason." Matt tried to help his buddy out of this really sticky, smelly, jam. "I tried to call you on your cell, why did you have your phone off?"

Yes, let's add more reasons to stack the blame against Ken. He was plenty sure his Blackberry was on and fully usable. "I...it's on, but I didn't get any calls, and I haven't been anywhere that would cut off the signal..."

Matt's frown deepened, creating a pretty damn intimidating look, especially with his icy blue eyes and considerable height. He lifted his own phone, and Ken saw the 3 outgoing calls under his name. Oh great, now his friend's slowly starting to turn against him. What's worse is that he knew when it came down to it, Tai would believe Matt's word over his any day. How did this golden opportunity suddenly get splattered with so much shit?

The brown haired police Chief suddenly stood up and made to grab his folders. "Alright, I'm not sure what the full story is here, but I do not have time for this. I need the most dependable, the very best for my sister. And I realize your potential as an accomplished bodyguard, which is why I had Matt ring you up in the first place, but I need someone more reliable, someone who doesn't mix up important information."

And with that, the final nail in the coffin has been driven in. But Ken was determined to pull it back out. He stood up and cut off Tai, who was heading towards the door. The head of police, even without his considerable volume of hair, was plenty taller than Ken.

"Please listen to me...there has been a gross misunderstanding. I am sure that I received the wrong time from Matt." Ken shot a glare at the blonde, who did not yield any emotion. "I assure you that I am the most trustworthy and dependable person you can find anywhere. Please, reconsider." He unashamedly pleaded. And why wouldn't he? This job was make or break for his career.

"Listen," Tai retorted sternly. "I'm sure you are everything you say you are, but you just didn't bring it all here today. You've wasted 2 hours of my day sweating inside a tiny conference room. This meeting is over."

"B-but I...Matt is lying! I wouldn't just throw away an opportunity like this! I need-"

"This meeting is _over_." Tai finalized. And it didn't take a genius like Ken to know not to press further.

Grabbing his files, Ken dejectedly walked to the door. He stopped midway out the doorway, and shot a look of absolute loathing at Matt. He felt betrayed, abandoned. And Matt had done less than nothing to help him out. With a slam, Ken left the room and stormed out the building.

Slamming doors, unfortunately, don't really intimidate the two young men left standing in the room. Tai had his eyebrows raised, while Matt scoffed pointedly.

"It's unfortunate. He really was a legit candidate. Wonder why he was so off his game today." The blonde Government agent mused.

"Unfortunate, and disheartening. I really thought I had it made with that guy." Tai rubbed the back of his head. "I leave in 2 days, where am I going to find a qualified bodyguard for Kari now?"

"You'll find someone. C'mon, let's grab some lunch." Matt offered, heading out the door.

Tai followed, closing the door behind him, and addressed the two guards assigned to him. "Sorry about the long wait, fellas. You're dismissed for the rest of the day."

"Are you sure?" One of them said. "We'll need to be there if the White Tigers intercept your ride."

"They wouldn't plan a hit in broad daylight on a target like me." Tai surmised confidently. "Besides, I'm fairly certain they, or any other Families even know this meeting happened."

Matt smiled when he said that, but neither Tai nor the guards noticed.

"Okay then, thank you sir." The two policemen left with a salute.

Tai sighed as he watched his two guards leave. Unfortunately he did not wholly trust the skills or the allegiances of anyone in his police force to take care of Kari. She was the most important person in his life right now. But she had her job to do as the photographer of the Crime Lab, and couldn't follow Tai around all the time.

"Tai are you certain your sis even needs this kind of personalized guarding?" Matt inquired as they made their way to the elevators. "I doubt the White Tigers would plan a hit on a photographer, especially if they know it's your sister."

"I just can't be too certain of what they will do." Tai replied tiredly, pressing the down button at the elevator doors. "Besides, she had a hand in taking down that big earner in their Family, Michael. They might plan some sort of revenge kill on her. You know how sentimental and close knit these Crime Families are."

"I suppose." The two stepped into a vacant elevator. Matt pressed the P1 button. "I wonder what possessed Ken to be so irrational. That whole meeting was uncomfortably suspicious."

"Agreed." Tai nodded. They stepped into the underground parking, looking for their car. "But I'm not taking chances. Although I now have no idea where to look for someone else to do the job."

Matt grinned at his best friend. "You can be such a fuckin' overprotective stickler sometimes. Kari's what...22 now? She can protect herself."

"Well, if you had any siblings yourself, you would be able to at least somewhat sympathise with me." Tai took out a black button. Pressing it made the black Mercedes in front of him flash its turning signals, unlocking the beautiful car. The windows were tainted black, and completely bulletproof. One couldn't be too careful these days. The Mafia presence was intruding quite heavily.

Tai sat down behind the wheel, Matt beside him. "...Any suggestions to where I can find a good bodyguard in the next..." He checked his watch. "14 hours or so?"

Matt shook his head. "None come to mind, sorry."

Tai sighed. He put his elbows on the wheel and buried his face in his palms. "What about Izzy or Sora? Or even Joe? You think they would know anybody?"

"Doubt it."

"Great..."

"..."

"..."

"...I've got a suggestion, if you're willing."

"I'm more than willing. Lay it on me."

"I'll do it."

Tai blinked. He certainly did not expect that. While he could trust Matt better than he could trust his own police force, he was not certain of the ramifications of a Government agent like himself interfering with his sister's life. Oh he was well qualified as a bodyguard, that's for sure. Both of them attended the same self defense and weapons training schools.

But then again, he had all his chips riding on Ken, and that turned out to be a bust.

Tai looked over at his blonde buddy. Matt was as expressionless as ever. It was always a puzzle to figure out what the guy's truly thinking or feeling. He was absolutely perfect as an undercover agent.

"You're offering to take the job?"

A simple nod.

"But I thought you were here for official business."

"That's just a vague term thrown around to divert attention from us." Matt waved an airy hand. "Crime Families cost Ontario millions annually. They've resorted to just fielding us at Mafia hotspots like this city in hopes we get lucky and catch them slipping up. So really I've no actual objective."

Tai just stared at Matt. They stayed like that for a while. The car was still parked in its spot. Finally Tai let out a small chuckle.

"Your superiors wouldn't be happy knowing you went off doing your own thing again."

Matt smiled snidely. "Those idiots haven't scraped together a happy face since they got put into office. But the question is..." He turned to the bushy haired police Chief. "...does that mean you accept my offer?"

Tai's expression changed somber. "We'll talk about it over lunch. You know that I am absolutely serious about this, and I want to hear what you plan to do should I decide to let you take this job."

"Fair enough. You're the big, bad, boss."

"Are you sure this won't be interfering with any other plans you may have? I don't want your focus split when driving Kari through this rat infested city."

"I have no other plans. The only reason I'm here instead of Chicago right now is because I don't wanna go through airport security."

Tai turned the keys. The Mercedes sputtered and roared to life, its engine amplified in the underground parking lot. "The let's go. Pick where you wanna eat."

-01210-

There is a certain art to running a Mafia Family.

It is often difficult to differentiate those you can trust, and those who are rats in disguise. Money is a good persuader, but you can never be too sure of a person's allegiance. Fear is the best tool. The fear that everyone around you is watching your every move, the fear that there is no place to hide once you've been found out. But instill too much fear, and the Family's reputation turns into that of a gang's, not an organized crime syndicate's.

This is especially tricky when you have members of the Family working inside jobs for institutions and organizations that are a threat, such as the police. It is difficult to constantly keep tabs on the person working undercover, to make sure they do not betray the Family. That is why only the most skilled and trusted members are sent to do this kind of work.

After finishing lunch with Tai, Matt returned to his modest home in suburban Scarborough. He grudgingly sat through the extensive list of precautions Tai wished for him to undertake when Kari comes under his care 2 days later. But it doesn't matter. He got the job. He would be chauffeuring the young lady. Tai's trust in him has paid off.

Going up to his front door, he couldn't fail to notice the Corvette Stingray parked next to his Porsche. The Boss always did have elegant, if not very classical taste in cars.

And of course, when Matt opened the door, he found the Boss perched on his couch, watching TV. Most people would not live to see another 3 seconds when they decide to just invite themselves into Matt's house and sit on his sofa. But when the Boss looked up to see Matt enter the house, all he got was an amused grin.

"My deepest apologies for intruding. I would've waited for you in my car, but you took too long to come back." The Boss laughed lightheartedly.

Matt chuckled lightly in return. He sat down in an armchair beside the Boss, briefly grasping his hand. "Hey, if you want things done, you let me do them at my leisure."

"Good thing you always get things done right, or I would've had your head for wasting so much time."

"You wouldn't actually. I'm too much family to you."

"Heh heh, that's true. What would I do without you, Matt?"

The Boss reached into his dark overcoat, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, offering one to Matt, which the blonde took and put into his mouth. The Boss then took out a box lighter and fired up Matt's smoke. The lighter had a special insignia on the side, a cobalt coloured, lizard like creature that curled in an S shape.

The Boss was the Don for the Blue Dragons Famiglia. A powerful, well known organization that rivaled the White Tigers. However, their presence in Toronto was minimal. While the White Tigers have made their home of operations in this city, the Blue Dragons made theirs in Chicago. And while certainly the influence and control they instilled in the Windy City was comparable to the Capone age, they needed to expand in order to continue their success.

In this age, when items smuggled were not just booze and baking goods, but also people, pets, information, weapons, et cetera, an infinitely diverse and growing city like Toronto was the ideal for underground operations, and the Blue Dragons have caught on to the scent. But the White Tigers were no fools. Their Don, Davis Motomiya, and his cohorts did not get this far into the business without being sly and knowledgeable. They have entangled themselves in every strand of the city's information web, so the Blue Dragons needed a well thought out plan to unravel the firm hold their rival Famiglia had.

And a plan they had. The Boss and his right hand man Matt Ishida were working on it right now.

"When will you be picking up the girl?"

"The day after, an hour after Tai's flight leaves." Matt answered, puffing out rings of smoke. "She'll be guarded by a small police force at where I'm supposed to pick her up. A woman called Holly will come with me to ensure her safety. The entire plan's really a bitch to perfectly execute, but Tai sure has talent for leading his pawns."

The Boss smirked. "But that's not how it would actually happen, right?"

Matt smirked back. "Of course not. Give Tai and I some credit. We're sneaks."

"Well as long as the Kamiya girl is under our protection, for now." The Boss laid back on the sofa cushion. "We're still working on identifying Motomiya's rat in the police information network. She needs to stay alive until we can find and kill that rat. Preferably, the boys can get it done before Kamiya Senior comes back from his trip."

"Motomiya will be hitting us hard." Matt commented, a slight frown creasing on his forehead. "Michael's death did not go over well for him. He just lost a big source of income. Kari will be dead the first chance they can get her in their scopes."

"Don't worry." The Boss said. "We'll make sure she stays alive for as long as we need her. And we'll make sure you come under no _real _danger doing this job."

"Good. I'm too beautiful to die this young, just for some slutty sister of Tai's."

"When was the last time you two saw each other?"

"When we were fucking toddlers. Like decades ago. Tai's not allowed to have pictures of me either, since I'm a Provincial Agent, so I'd say she hasn't laid eyes on my pretty face for a long time." Matt crushed the cigarette butt into the ashtray. The room smelled vaguely of sweet smoke.

"That works out damn well for us." The Boss said, clapping a hand on Matt's shoulder. "By the way, whatever happened to that Ichijouji idiot that Tai initially had you call up?"

"Well, since he's an idiot, it was just a simple matter of telling him the wrong time on purpose." Matt smiled as he recalled the absolute devastation on Ken's face as he was rejected for the job. He pulled out his phone and deleted the contact Ken, which he put under his own home phone's number.

"And did Tai suspect anything?"

"Not anything along the lines of taking Ken's word over mine."

"Trust is a more powerful weapon than the most lethal of guns." The Boss commented, bringing up the years of experience he has in the business. "Do you feel just the slightest bit guilty for deceiving to Tai like that?"

"Maybe a bit, I'm not gonna lose any sleep over it. I did it for the progress and growth of the Blue Dragons. Family before friends." Matt paused. "It's rather unfortunate though. Ken really was a good person. You sure we couldn't have just used him instead of taking the long way around?"

The Boss shook his head and sighed. "Our boys planned a successful hit on his brother Sam years ago when he got too nosy into our business. There's the chance he'll find out. It's less painful for him if he just avoids us altogether."

Matt studied his boss for a while. He raised one eyebrow. "Sometimes you can be shockingly nice for a ruthless boss of the Blue Dragons."

That enticed a humorless grin from the Boss. "I'll be mean when I need to be. Otherwise I like to perpetuate a good image for myself. In any case, Ichijouji is a casualty in our plan. We needed the Kamiya girl under _our_ control. I'll send a few boys to tail him for a bit to make sure he doesn't try something stupid."

The Boss stood up, and Matt caught a gleam of silver along his pants before his trench coat covered it. Matt knew what it was, the Smith and Wesson 500 revolver that the Boss used as his personal weapon of choice. Again, such classical taste.

"C'mon, we're heading to Pearson to meet up with the rest of the team arriving for our operation. We'll discuss the plan in better detail along the way." He threw his car keys to Matt, who caught it with one hand. "You drive my Corvette."

Matt followed his Boss out his home's front door. Everything was being set in motion, now before the White Tigers can whiff what they're up to. If all goes to plan, they can accomplish what they need before Don Davis can even react.

-01210-

Ken Ichijouji knocked on the polished wooden door.

"Come in." The voice inside directed.

He turned the brass knob and entered the rather dark room. The curtains were drawn over the window that took up the entire wall, and sunlight barely filtered through the material.

Ken saw a large chair behind a desk facing the window. Its back was tall enough to conceal the identity of whoever sat in it on the other side.

"Ken Ichijouji, is it?"

Ken was a bit startled at the voice. It was remarkably young, not at all what he was expecting.

"Y-yes, sir."

The chair swiveled, revealing a young man with hair the colour of dried blood, wearing an expensive black suit with a strange white emblem over the heart that resembled the face of a large cat. His elbows lay on the armrests, his legs were crossed, and his eyes stared directly at Ken.

"Well then, let us strike a deal..." offered Davis Motomiya.

-21012-

A/N: All Digimon characters used do not belong to me.

I considered setting this story in Tokyo, but eventually chose Toronto instead, simply because I know next to nothing about Japan. I just like their entertainment. I chose Toronto because, big surprise, that's where I live, and it would be less tiring to just use places that exist in the city already instead of making up new ones. So consequently, the strange Japanese last names of the characters in a setting like Canada would come off as weird, but try to look past it.

OPP: Ontario Provincial Police.

GTA: Greater Toronto Area.

I keep author's notes to a minimum, so you probably won't hear from me in a while. Thanks for reading.


	2. Pursuit

**10 days ago.**

The young, handsome blonde man watched unflinchingly as the massive airliner roared over him, taking off into the crisp blue sky towards its destination.

There goes Tai.

Shit's about to get hectic in this city.

He turned back to his sleek black car, which seemed to shimmer under the sun's hot rays. He drove quickly to his meeting point with Holly and the rest of the escort.

There was no doubt the White Tigers would plan to be more active with the Head of Police gone. Tai Kamiya was much more than just a figurehead leader of the police force, he was incredibly experienced and competent, a rallying point for all policemen in his division. Not only did Tai have extensive knowledge of Mafia tactics and hideouts, he could also quickly and efficiently organize his men to counter any potential threat on the spot. Most think that with his incredible leadership, the police could potentially bring down the White Tiger crime Family in Toronto.

But the police chief has, perhaps wisely, yet to take any aggressive action in that direction. Simply because there were not enough policemen to handle the monumental task of dislodging an entire Mafia family from the city network, along with keeping up regular patrols and answering to other incidents.

Nonetheless, Tai was a dangerous adversary, a consistent thorn on the Tigers' side.

But he would be gone for the next few days. The city was without one of its best. If there was any opportune time to get things done as the Mafia, it would be now.

The car blurred across the highway, swerving around traffic left and right. Its blonde haired driver paid minimal attention to the road. His head was calculating his next move. His enemies' next move.

There was good reason to believe that Kari Kamiya would be the prime target for Don Motomiya and his underlings. Under her brother's guidance, she has become more than a mere nuisance to crime operations. She was an observant photographer, able to pick out details others would have missed. She could seek out the most minimal of evidence, and pin it against the perpetrator amazingly quickly. She knows more than she should about the White Tigers. More than they are comfortable with. Kari has already taken down many important members, including most recently, Michael Anderson, a top earner and high up manager within the White Tigers. This did not sit well with Davis.

The black car pulled off onto a crowded avenue. The blonde driver drummed the steering wheel impatiently with his fingers as traffic crawled through downtown Toronto. He checked his silver watch, which read 4:32 pm. The outer rim of the watch, upon closer inspection, had a tiny dragon wrapped around the circumference, etched into the silver edge.

If the Blue Dragons wanted even a chance at taking Toronto from Davis Motomiya and the White Tigers, they had to seek an edge. In more ways than one, Kari sufficed. If the Blue Dragons could get information from her regarding their rivaling Family, from how they operate to possible members, it would be an excellent jump off point. Added to the fact that she was the close sibling of the Head of Police, if they could gain her trust one way or another, there was potential the Dragons could blindside the Tigers before they even knew about their intrusion into the city.

But it all centres down to getting her safely into their hands.

As the blonde man trudged along in his spot of rush hour traffic, he ran over the plan in his head. It was quite complex, but it had to be. They were dealing with a Mafia Family who had Toronto in its palm for a good decade now. They had to outwit the most cunning of people.

The blonde sighed as he slowly approached his meeting location with Holly, the second in command for the escort. If all went well, the White Tigers would fall for the decoy they put in place, and the plan would go by without a hitch.

-01210-

"Make sure the men don't fall for the decoy they put in place." A raspy voice rang out through the phone's speakers.

"A decoy huh?" Davis mused. He was a bit surprised at the length the police force went to just for some Crime Lab photographer. Then again, Tai had always been an overprotective prick when it came to his sister. It was a wonder Kari hasn't snapped at his smothering brother yet.

It made things harder to kill the young woman. But it would be done. With the help of his information leak, of course.

"So what exactly is their plan," Davis asked the phone from his leaned back position on his chair.

"Kamiya junior will be moved at 5:10 pm." The phone answered back. "She will be travelling with 3 undercover black cruisers and another unknown car, herself riding in the silver Mercedes. Their destination is Kari's home in southern Etobicoke, which would be under a constant guard for the duration of Tai's absence. Agent Holly Takenouchi and a government agent called Matt Ishida will direct the escort."

There was a slight shuffling sound. Davis looked up. Across from his polished desk sat a rather uncomfortable looking Ken. His unusually pale face and blue hair seemed to glow in the dim light of the room.

"The decoy convoy, which would consist of an armoured SUV and 7 cruisers, is to move half an hour later," The voice continued. "Quite a hefty expenditure for a decoy if I do say so myself."

"Hmm. They're taking a big risk. A small convoy would be much easier to take out. They're really trying hard to outwit us." Davis said with a chuckle. "It's pathetic really. Tai must be losing his edge."

"Can't deny it's a decent plan though, boss." The comment came from the phone. "Top secret, too, had to dig into the highest classified orders to get this info."

"You did great. Glad I'm not paying you for nothing. Keep me informed. I'll relay your info to the guys standing by in the field." Davis absentmindedly fingered his personal sidearm sitting in its holster strapped to his belt. A shining Desert Eagle. "Kari Kamiya dies today."

"I hear that. I'm gonna get going boss, see you around."

"Yeah, see ya." The maroon haired Boss of the White Tigers pressed a button on the phone, ending the call. He then leaned towards the desk, putting his elbows on the smooth wood, and clasped his hands together over his mouth. He stared straight into the nervous eyes of Ken Ichijouji.

"Matt Ishida..." Davis said slowly, tasting the name in his mouth. "You say that this man fucked you over, right?"

"...Yeah." Ken said uneasily. In all honesty he wasn't sure what to feel anymore. Matt had deceived him, swindled him out of the job that was rightfully his. But now, knowing that the White Tigers' plan to kill Kari, he felt relieved that he wouldn't be exposed to the field of fire. But Matt still destroyed his career. Then again Matt could've potentially saved his life. Goddamn this was complicated.

"I know what you're thinking, it could've been you out there, getting shot by my men, right?"

Ken gaped. Don Davis Motomiya was smirking from behind his hands.

"Well, it doesn't matter now. You walked in to this room, and you should damn well know what would happen if you walk out."

Tied to a chair and beaten bloody with a baseball bat. A baseball bat with rusty nails stuck on it. Rusty nails that are covered with rat poison. Ken shuddered at the thought.

"But we're willing to accept you with open arms into our warm little family." Davis said, spreading his arms out, as if trying to embrace Ken. "I'm certain we can find work for you, especially with your generous talents. And we will certainly pay more than any shoddy business can."

Davis leaned closer to the blue haired man, a malicious grin playing on his tan face. "And if you need any more of an incentive, we would gladly take out the traitorous Matt Ishida for you."

In hindsight, Ken was surprised at how incredibly pissed off and vengeful he felt against his former blonde friend. Sure, he had some right to, since Matt basically shit all over his career advancement opportunity, but Ken had never before felt as angry as to feel the need to run to the Mafia to get his revenge.

Perhaps some of it had to do with Ken's history. After Sam died, Ken's family fell apart. His dad became an alcoholic, and eventually left him and his mom in heavy debt. This led to his mom's fall into deep depression, and her eventual confinement in a mental hospital. At just 18 years old, Ken was completely alone. The only way he managed to survive up to this point was through the help of good friends like Matt. But Matt had abandoned him, just like each of his family members. It would be foolish to think this wouldn't affect Ken's mental state. In this case, it translated into spiteful anger and poor judgement.

Even though he's kind of regretting it now, like Davis said, he can't back out. Besides, money was always a good reason to consider a change of job fields. Ken took a deep breath.

"Fine, I'll join the Family. Even though I've been working as security protecting against the Mafia for all my life."

Don Motomiya's smile turned warm. "Good choice, my friend. You'd be surprised at how often people who formerly worked against us would so willingly turn to our side."

The Boss of the White Tigers stood up from his large sofa-chair. He gestured for Ken to stand up as well. Davis was ever so slightly shorter than the pale former security guard. He walked around his desk, and put a gentle hand on Ken's shoulder. Ken didn't dare move.

"I shall need to get my men organized for our hit on Kari. We'll properly initialize you into the Motomiya Famiglia later on. But for now, welcome to our Family, Ken Ichijouji."

Davis started towards the door. He nudged his head, signalling for Ken to follow. "Let's go. You'll want to see how the White Tigers get shit done in this city. When we want a person dead, they die."

Ken timidly kept up as Davis set off briskly across the elegant building that is the White Tigers' main hideout.

_When we want a person dead, they die..._

There was another, almost subconscious reason for Ken to have come before Davis. Over the years, he had discovered that his brother Sam was the target of a Mafia group that wasn't the White Tigers. Sam had been on a trip to Chicago when he was executed, bullet to head style, in his hotel room. Ken hoped that he would be able to get more clues to the entity that was responsible for shattering his family by simply getting closer to his local Mafia.

It would not show by looking at his passive, kind hearted face, but nearly all of Ken's actions were fuelled by anger, vengeance, sorrow, and the desire to bring justice and closure to his ruined childhood.

-01210-

The underground parking lot of the Toronto Crime Lab was a bit more crowded than usual today.

A young woman stood with her arms folded, tapping her toes, as she watched the men from her escort scramble around, making the final preparations to receive Kari Kamiya. She shook her head. Really, Tai worries too much. More than likely nothing would even happen to his precious little sister when he was gone. Sure, the White Tigers were a menace to society, but that doesn't mean they drive around the streets in broad daylight killing people.

She stood out from the rest of the cops. She was relatively short, but had a beautiful slim frame covered by a blue long sleeve and jean shorts. She wore a black vest with all her police service badges pinned to it over her shirt. She had waving long reddish brown hair, and a soft face that did not need makeup to express its beauty. She looked so delicate that some wonder how she became a police officer. But this rose had thorns. Very sharp thorns. Sharp enough for Tai to trust her to lead Kari's escort, along with Matt of course.

Speaking of which, Matt was very nearly late. All Holly knew about her partner was what Tai told him. Which was very little. Government agent. Blonde hair. Handsome...well, she'll be the judge of that. But Tai had assured her that this man was competent, and that's all she could ask for.

The sound of a sports car, amplified many fold in the underground parking, directed her attention to the black Corvette Stingray pulling up to the 3 black disguised cruisers and silver Mercedes Its windows were tinted black, revealing nothing of the car's interior, just like the other cars of the escort. It stopped right in front of the young woman. The engine sputtered to a stop, and the driver's side door opened.

Although she didn't show it, the young woman was taken aback by the appearance of the very handsome tall blonde that stepped towards her. He was quite skinny looking, which seemed to make him seem even taller than he actually was. He wore a casual cuffed blue shirt and black jeans, with a silver watch on his left hand. But the main course was his face, it was well rounded, with smooth, pale skin. And the eyes...they were large and warm, and an extravagant deep blue colour that was rare even in North America. A simple mop of shaggy blonde hair completed the course. What surprised her most was how _young_ he seemed.

Stepping up to the young lady, the height difference was pronounced, making her seem even shorter, and the man even taller.

He put forward a hand, smiling. "You must be Holly Takenouchi. Pleasure to meet you."

Holly squeezed the hand briefly, her eyes still travelling over his face. He looked so calm, so confident. "Why do you assume so quickly that I'm Holly Takenouchi? We've certainly not met before." She said in a clipped voice.

The blonde man shrugged his shoulders. "You're right. For all I know, you may not be Holly at all."

The young policewoman chuckled. "And you must be Matt Ishida. Tai's incredible best friend that he wouldn't shut up about."

"Hey, maybe I am, maybe I'm not."

"Enough with the games. Tell me, are you Matt or not?"

The blonde raised an eyebrow at the sudden change of attitude. He dug into his pocket and took out a badge that Tai gave to him for identification purposes. "This proof enough for ya?"

Holly examined the piece of bronze for a few seconds. She nodded. "You could've just shown me some photo ID. You government agents are never straightforward about anything are you?"

Matt smirked. "You wouldn't find a picture of me anywhere outside my house. So enjoy this beautiful face while you can."

Holly rolled her almond eyes. "Tai's arrogance must be rubbing off on you." She raised her arm and made a hand signal. Quickly all the policemen around assembled in front of the silver Mercedes. She began walking towards them. "Come on, we'll go through what to do once more before Ms Kamiya gets here."

Matt followed. "Ms Kamiya huh. I wonder what she has done to earn such courtesy from you."

"Well, unlike you Ishida, she is a very sweet, very humble person. I give credit where it's due."

Matt laughed. There was something funny about how Holly was complimenting Kari so generously. If anything, he credited her for being an excellent actor.

At exactly 4:07 pm, a set of elevator doors opened, revealing the figures of Kari Kamiya and her two police cohorts. Kari was a beautiful young lady in her own right. She had shoulder length brown hair, and piercing red eyes. She was wearing a red shirt with a black skirt. Strapped over her shoulder was a rather large black bag, which was brimming with all her files and photos, as well as a large Nikon camera. At only 22 years of age, she was the most professional of employees at the Crime Lab.

Kari and her two guards stepped up to Holly and Matt. Matt saw that Kari was surprisingly a bit taller than Holly.

"Good afternoon, Ms Kamiya. My name is Holly Takenouchi, and this is agent Matt Ishida. We, along with these fine gentlemen," Holly directed to the line of policemen. "Will be your escort and guard, at the request of your brother, for the duration of his trip. We'll be escorting you back to your home today. As well as in the future, when we deem it safe for you to come back to work, escorting you from the Lab and your home."

Kari smiled radiantly at them. "Well, even though I personally think big brother is being unnecessarily precautious, wasting talent like you on a simple escort for me, thank you all for your time."

That's the kind of thing that just melts your heart and makes you try to do your best when you hear it. Both Kari and Tai had a blessed ability to motivate people that few others could copy.

Matt smiled back warmly. "Well, it is our pleasure to waste our talents on you, Ms Kamiya..." Wait, that didn't sound right...and Matt earned an elbow from Holly for his efforts.

Kari giggled lightly. "Well then, let's get going. Where shall I be sitting?"

To avoid suspicion, the cruisers filed out of the parking lot individually 30 seconds apart, then waited on the side of the road. Soon only the silver Mercedes and Matt's black Corvette were left.

For safety and comfort, Kari sat in the back of the luxury car. Exchanging a few last words, Holly gently closed the rear door, came and sat down beside the waiting Matt in his classic sports car.

"If I can manage it, I'm going to keep as low a profile as possible for this trip." Holly stated, fiddling with her radio equipment. She turned a stern gaze towards her driver. "Once she gets to her home, you're on your own. You're her bodyguard. Call us the moment something you can't handle comes up. Keep Ms Kamiya safe."

Matt nodded. "Yes ma'am."

Holly put the radio microphone to her mouth. "Follow close." She directed Kari's driver, a veteran named Colin.

"No problemo." Came his cheery reply.

The two cars turned over with a roar, and pulled out of the underground parking. Matt squinted his eyes as the car came back out under the blinding sunlight.

"All units stand by." Holly told the radio.

The Corvette led the Mercedes out onto a large avenue. Matt did a quick scan of the curbs, and found the police cruisers of his squad parked diligently, waiting for their instructions. The two cars lined up with the road, like an airplane about to take off.

"And we are good to go." Holly gave the green light.

Matt gently pressed the accelerator. The car began to roll forward.

A bullet slammed into the tinted windshield with a loud, crackling thud, leaving a small crater in the bulletproof glass.

"Shit!" Matt floored the gas pedal, and the black sports car lurched down the street, Kari's Mercedes hot behind its trail.

Chaos ensued. The 3 other black cruisers sprang after Matt and Kari's cars. At the same time, a slew of other vehicles that were also parked on the curb, or lurking in small driveways, simultaneously sprang from their positions, and chased, tires squealing, after the escort. Heads popped out of side windows, and soon, the sounds of guns firing and bullets ricocheting broke through the drowsy afternoon like a bolt of lightning.

"Motherfuck...Colin, report!" Holly yelled into the radio, hand gripped tightly on the door handle as Matt swerved around afternoon traffic, bullets bouncing off the Corvette's chassis.

"...Damn bastards got us a few times in the side windows!" Colin shouted back above the sound of his car's tires and Kari's screaming.

"Stay close to us! We're gonna make a run for the nearest police checkpoint! Make sure Kari stays safe!"

It was an organized offensive, well planned, well executed. Which meant only one culprit, the White Tigers.

Holly gave Matt a look. The young man spared her a glance before averting his eyes back to cutting through afternoon traffic, cars honking at them as they passed. Holly was impressed. Matt did not show any signs of distress or weakness, his azure eyes very much focused.

A round impacted off Holly's side window, chips of glass landing on her cheek. She snapped back to attention. "All available units, respond! We are travelling Westbound on Lake Shore Boulevard, pursued by the Tigers! Decoy convoy! Abort and come help us get rid of these fuckers!"

"Ms Kamiya! Keep your head down, but stay in your seat!" Colin's firm voice travelled through the radio. A lot of clanging and shattering sounds could also be heard. Matt checked the silver Mercedes through the rear view mirror. Its side doors were taking a beating from a hostile car raining down fire on it from the windows and sunroof.

"Units 2 and 3! Kari's ride is getting hit hard! Block or disable those cars!"

Matt saw in the mirror a black cruiser accelerate up behind the Mafia car. It then pressed its front left bumper against the back right corner of the target, resulting in the Mafia car spinning out with a screech. A good old PIT manoeuvre.

On the other side of the Mercedes, another cruiser has put itself between Kari's ride and a White Tigers' SUV. It then pressed the SUV onto the guard rail, releasing a shower of glowing sparks, before turning away to avoid traffic, leaving the heavily paint scratched SUV limping behind.

With that, the escort managed to gain some control back, Matt's Corvette leading the bruised, but not broken Mercedes, with two cruisers on either side, and the third one bringing up the rear.

"Let's slow down a bit, give backup some time to catch up." Holly directed. "Assessment! What are we dealing with?"

"Small arms fire, maybe some SMGs." The officer from the rearmost cruiser reported. "Plenty of bullet holes, good damage to the bulletproof windows, but we're still good to drive."

"Same here," Colin reported in a rather calm voice. "Though Ms Kamiya's a bit shaken up."

"Alright. Let's keep making our way to that checkpoint. Next 3 blocks." Holly told Matt, who simply nodded without taking his eyes off the road. Holly turned a few dials on the radio, and began talking to their interim destination. "Station 121, standby to receive, we have Tigers on our tail."

She waited a few seconds for a response, but none came.

"Station 121 this is an emergency directive, respond!"

"I don't think they're going to."

Holly frowned at Matt's discouragingly ominous statement. The young policewoman followed Matt's gaze until she was also looking at a rising column of billowing grey smoke. Right where station 121 would have been. Holly's almond eyes widened.

"Son of a bitch, Motomiya you bastard!" She screamed. "Headquarters get a patrol chopper in the air, track and provide covering fire on all hostile vehicles!"

"Roger that, air crew on route..."

Holly sighed, frustrated. "Now wha-"

"We've got company!" The policeman in the rear cruiser broke in urgently. "The bastards are catching up! I see at least 5 cars, and they've all got a guy popped out and aimed right for uu-aaAAAAH!"

There was an audible, drawn out screech, terminating in a loud bang. Then contact with the rear cruiser abruptly cut.

Matt and Holly exchanged a glance. "Report!" Holly yelled.

"Cruiser 1 just lost control! They might be shooting at our tires..." Colin called back.

Matt could now clearly see the Tigers' vehicles catching up and opening fire. Soon the sound of bullets ricocheting off car chassis returned. Then there was another painful scream of tires, and Matt watched helplessly as the right side cruiser sharply banked right into another sedan, a cloud of rubber smoke forming.

The Tigers' cars burst through the silver smoke, and opened fire again. One round scored a direct hit on the driver side rear view mirror of Matt's car, shearing it clean off the battle scarred Corvette.

"Yeah! They're shooting at tires all right!" Colin confirmed, perhaps unnecessarily.

Matt suddenly grabbed the radio input from Holly's sweating hand, earning a shout of protest from the auburn haired woman. "Swerve as much as possible! Dodge between cars if you have to! Cruiser 3, fire back if possible, direct some of their attention!" Matt commanded firmly into the mic. "Headquarters, converge available units to Kamiya's home, we're heading there fast as hell on Lake Shore right now! Place intercept units on our route if you can! And where's that helicopter?"

There was no reply, but the murmuring in the background told Matt that they were still on the line.

Holly grabbed the mic back from her driver. "You heard him! C'mon, relay that last order!"

"Err...yes ma'am!" Immediately came the sounds of barking orders through the radio.

Matt raised an eyebrow at his partner.

There was a flash of amusement playing on Holly's face. "Thank me later."

A trio of thuds rang out. 3 bullet craters in the back window joined the one on the windshield.

"This is getting out of hand..." Holly turned her hear to look through the back window. Her heart stopped. Their silver Mercedes was nowhere to be seen. Then suddenly it swerved into their lane from behind a semi-truck, and Holly caught a brief glimpse of Colin, eyes furrowed, and Kari, eyes wide. Trailing behind the Mercedes, like wagons behind a locomotive, were the 5 Mafia cars, still shooting.

Their one remaining ally, cruiser 3, was finally shooting back. An officer was whack-a-moleing through the sunroof, taking pot shots at the nearest Tigers' car.

"This is the decoy convoy, come in, Ms Takenouchi." The radio rang out.

"Go ahead."

"We're catching up to you the best we can. We've passed some wrecked cruisers from your escort. Looks like the damn bastards aren't taking prisoners. They've cleaned up the crashes, slowed down and killed any surviving policemen."

"...I see." Holly said dully. That meant either keep driving, or get killed for sure.

The chase was now well out of the downtown core, so traffic decreased a bit. Matt looked at his speedometer. He had been flying down the road at around 120km/h for the past 5 minutes or so now. Soon, they'll be home free at their destination with Kari still al-

"FUCK!" Came an abrupt yell from Kari's driver.

Things went to shit. Holly watched in horror as the silver Mercedes slalomed, slowing down dramatically, its rear left wheel wailing and spewing smoke. Immediately its pursuing cars pulled up on either side, and wrapped around the crippled car until it disappeared from view.

"Colin? _Colin!_" Holly yelled desperately into the mic. Matt stepped on the brake for the first time this trip, and the Corvette slowed down. Then he turned to watch for any sign for Kari's car. Any sign at all.

There was a moment of thick silence.

Then, miraculously, there was a loud crash, as the front Mafia car was slammed aside, and out of the circle sped the silver Mercedes, looking a little worse for wear, with a lot more bullet holes, and a mutilated tire, but in good enough condition to continue driving.

"Eat that motherfuckers!" Kari's veteran police driver whooped through the radio. There was a fleeting laugh of triumph from the young Crime Lab photographer as well.

Holly let out the breath she was holding, and managed a small smile.

But the White Tigers were not happy. With a fucked tire, the Mercedes could not manage a high speed. A red Tigers' car pulled up to the right of the limping vehicle, and a man wearing a suit, wielding a sub machine gun appeared out from the sunroof, and began showering the side windows with automatic fire.

"Shit! Our windows can't take much more of this crap!" Colin shouted above the background bullet fire.

"...damn it..." Matt slowed down his car dramatically. Holly lurched forward against her seatbelt. She turned, bewildered, at her driver. The Mercedes and red Mafia car were catching up fast.

Just as the cars were about to pass the black Corvette, Matt floored it, and quickly turned his steering wheel, and soon, they were driving right between the silver Mercedes and the red enemy vehicle.

Holly felt a mixture of disbelief and awe as the red car opened fire, and now they were receiving the hail of bullets, smashing into their driver side window and door, shielding Kari's ride from further damage. She turned around and saw through the cracked tinted windows a wide eyed Colin, and a pale looking Kari. The three cars sped down the road parallel to each other.

Matt remained calm under literal fire. He was reaching for something under the car seat. Holly's eyes widened once again as she saw the young blonde pull out a massive silver revolver. A Smith and Wesson 500. Basically a tank gun in pistol form.

The firing stopped as the Tigers henchman scrambled to reload his weapon. This was not missed by Matt, who immediately scrolled down his bulletproof window, and aimed his long handgun at the forehead of the unfortunate Mafia member.

The round almost decapitated him. Blood flew backwards from the hole between the eyes that could no longer see. The man dropped back into the red car.

Matt could see the driver panic, as he frantically twitched from looking at the road, the Corvette, and his dead partner. The blonde aimed the pistol at the driver, and fired again. The large caliber bullet drove through the bulletproof glass like it was not even there, and embedded itself into the red car's driver's head. The car dropped behind them.

"Holly, we've prepared a blockade at Ms Kamiya's residence as you requested." Headquarters notified them. "We're tracking you right now, take the next right turn, across the railway tracks, and a few blocks until you've reached us. Hang in there."

"Umm, roger that." Holly recomposed herself. "You catch that, Ishida?"

"Yes ma'am." He answered calmly. As if he wasn't participating in a death race, and he didn't just kill 2 Mafia members with an oversized revolver.

He even gave Holly a smile. "You sure are keeping impressively calm, considering who you _really_ are."

"Can it. You'd be surprised."

Their cars were battered, they still had a shit ton of Mafia on their tails, but they were almost there.

However the last leg would prove tricky. The back left tire has finally spun off, and Kari's Mercedes was riding on a rim, grinding and sparking on the pavement. The remaining Tigers were in hot pursuit, firing like mad at the two mauled cars.

One of the Tigers' cars got ballsy, and decided to use a much more direct approach to take Kari out. It began to slam into the back of the Mercedes, trying to make it lose control. Kari's driver was visibly struggling to rein down his car.

Then out of nowhere, cruiser 3, the last remaining police cruiser of their escort, came in and rammed hard into the Tigers car, taking them both skidding across the road and out of action.

"I'm getting engine damage, I don't know how much more this ride can take!" Colin said over the radio.

"Keep it together! You are to get Kari to her home safely no matter what!" Holly retorted.

They managed to reach their exit, and the two cars sharply turned onto the side road. They were almost there.

But nothing has gone their way that afternoon, and as if to unequivocally prove that point, the railroad crossing in front of them began flashing. The two striped guard rails began to lower. Holly could see a massive locomotive approach the crossing.

The cars were still very far away from the crossing.

"Damn it! We're gonna get trapped on this side!" Holly said through gritted teeth.

"We can make it."

She stared at Matt "What!"

Bullets pinged off their car, but the Mercedes was getting the worst of it, as small arms fire was shredding through its trunk.

"We can make it."

Holly turned to look at the car they were supposed to protect. Kari had her head down, while her driver Colin was visibly sweating, even through the cracked and tinted window.

"But they can't! Their car's fucked!"

"They'll have to try."

The railway crossing's clanging bells grew louder as they approached it. The train was closing in on it fast as well.

"We can't leave them behind!"

"Then they better floor it."

"Have you forgotten your mission?"

At this Matt turned and gazed directly into Holly's eyes. The young woman was amazed at how this blonde man beside her could seem so stoic, so emotionless, and yet possess the most expressive eyes she'd ever seen.

"No, no I haven't."

There was a pause.

The back window of their Corvette was giving away from the non ceasing punishment.

Holly put the mic as close to her mouth as possible. "Floor it, Colin!"

Matt stomped on the accelerator, and the black sports car took off with a roar, pressing both riders into their seats.

Beside them, Kari's driver did the same. The back rim achingly ground against the asphalt as the Mercedes pushed itself to its very limit. They could not keep up with the Corvette.

The train sounded its earth quaking horn.

They weren't stopping. There was no choice.

The speedy Corvette slammed through the wooden rails and flew over the tracks.

Holly immediately looked behind her. Kari's car was straining to go faster, as the Tigers' cars chased it. The train was coming in close.

Somehow, they made it.

Somehow, the silver Mercedes, shot to hell, damaged beyond recognition, managed to squeeze past the crossing just as the train rumbled past. None of the Tigers' cars made it past with them.

Holly let out a breath of relief. Loud whoops came through the radio from Kari's ride...

A black van came out of nowhere, and slammed hard into the comparatively tiny Mercedes. Holly's relief turned into absolute horror as she watched the van pinball Kari's car, shattering all its windows, and pin it against the wall of a building.

Radio contact with the Mercedes ceased.

But there wouldn't have been anything Holly or Matt could've done from where they were, and they could only watch as a few men jumped out from the van, strolled up to the wrecked car, aim their guns into the windows...

And fired.

"Damn it no!" A scream of frustration and anger tore from Holly's throat, the beautiful young lady losing all composure, rage contorting her delicate face.

A low growl came from Matt as well as he watched the White Tigers jump back into their van, and it squealed off into another side road, leaving the carcass of the Mercedes and its two dead riders on the sidewalk.

There was a stretch of dejected silence in the last remaining car of Kari's guard.

Two regular police cruisers came towards them, and escorted them as they approached their final destination. Kari's apartment loft in southern Etobicoke.

Holly handed Matt the radio. Matt turned a few dials on the equipment, isolating a specific signal, the put the microphone to his mouth.

"Command, this is agent Matt Ishida."

A brief pause. Then, "go ahead Matt."

Matt hesitated, then said in a dull voice, "stand in target has been eliminated, I repeat, stand in target has been eliminated. They fell for the trick."

"Roger that. And Ms Kamiya? Is she safe?"

The blonde driver turned to look at Holly. She was staring out the window, expressionless.

"Yes, she is. We've reached her home."

"Alright. We'll leave the rest to you, Matt. Good luck. We'll debrief you of today's carnage later on."

"Okay. Over and out."

Matt dropped the radio equipment, and leaned back into the leather chair of the once perfect Corvette Stingray. He looked at his partner.

"Kari...hey, Kari, you gonna be okay?"

The young lady heaved a sigh. Then she grabbed her auburn wig, and pulled it gently off, revealing her natural creamy brown coloured hair. She then put a finger onto each of her pupils, and pulled away, taking the almond coloured contacts from her naturally ruby red eyes.

Kari Kamiya, younger sister of Tai Kamiya, Crime Lab photographer, and prime target of the White Tiger Mafia syndicate, offered a weak smile at her bodyguard, Matt.

"Yeah, I think I'll be fine."

-01210 -

Ken was stunned by the...extremes that the White Tigers went to just to kill one person. It didn't seem like an underground Mafia operation at all, it was more like a terrorist attack. They did everything, from burning down a fucking police station, to melting the ignition on patrol helicopters. They used 12 or so vehicles in the chase. They had no qualms about killing any policemen standing in their way.

Davis either really, really, _really,_ wanted Kari Kamiya dead, or he was insane.

The White Tiger boss was currently talking to one of the men he fielded in the chase.

"And you're sure that's what you saw."

"Right you are, boss. We lost 'em when they crossed the CP tracks, but the guys in the van said they got 'er." The rather shaggy and windblown man dutifully reported. "Said they personally shot 'er face in themselves. I think Kerry was the one who actually did it."

"Glad to know, but are you absolutely sure that you saw what you saw from that black Corvette?"

"Erm...yeah, I am. Not a lot of other things you could mistake that for."

"Okay, good. Nicely done, you've earned your pay for this month."

The man grinned toothily, and gave Don Motomiya a courteous bow before heading off.

Davis wordlessly turned to head back into the building. Ken followed suit. He sucked up his courage, and ventured out a question.

"Umm, if I may ask, boss," Wow, calling this man, who barely looked like he graduated from high school, the boss would need some getting used to. "Why did you go to such lengths just to kill off one person?"

Davis did not even turn around. "It's a lot about what the life of Kari Kamiya is worth to us. Yes, she did but a lot of bumps in our operations in Toronto, yes she did get a lot of my men killed or jailed. But she is also Tai Kamiya's sister."

The maroon haired boss slid his personal sidearm out of its holster. He held it up, examining it closely. Ken knew through years of weapons training that a Desert Eagle was no pea shooter.

"The police have always been a rather stubborn front for my Family, always stopping us from reaching total domination of this city's underground trade." Davis continued. "Killing Kamiya junior, as well as _any _police that unwisely get in the way, will sent Tai a message. He can't stop us."

Ken frowned. "When Tai finds out, he will send the entirety of the Toronto police after you."

Davis turned to face Ken, wearing a sly smile. "If he even tries, he will regret it."

Cryptic. But somehow, Ken didn't doubt his words. In some part of his mind, past all moral objections, Ken was glad that he was on the Mafia's side, the seemingly winning side.

Ken shared the smile. "Well, I still think you went a bit overboard, boss, but at least you took out the target." Eat that, Ishida, you failure.

"No, we took out _a _target."

Ken turned, bewildered. "What?"

Davis merely chuckled. "My guy from inside headquarters tells me there's a lot of activity at or near the perimeter of Kari Kamiya's apartment loft. They seem to be setting up a guard of sorts."

"...which means she might still be alive." Ken solved. "How?"

"They used bait." Davis answered. "They coloured some random bitch in Kari's appearance, and put her into the car that she would've rode in for the escort. The real Kamiya was probably dressed as Holly Takenouchi, and riding in Ishida's car. I have to say, I'm impressed at how they managed to pull it off. They didn't break rank, they always stuck close to the Mercedes, even put themselves in the line of fire. In other words, they didn't do anything to incite suspicion that the real target was anywhere but the Mercedes. This little gambit was even kept secret from high ups in the police headquarters it seems, since my info leak didn't know about this either."

The Tiger boss nodded. "Well played, Tai."

Well played indeed. They set up a decoy convoy to cover the real escort, but also put in a decoy target to cover the real target. A good plan with lots of room for failure, but they pulled it off. Ken was impressed that Tai had the brains and audacity to do something like this.

But Don Davis's attention seemed split on something else.

"Boss? Why were you asking about the gun that Ishida used to take out the red car? I mean, it doesn't really matter, does it?"

"Ah, yes. Let me tell you about that." Davis said happily, as if glad to share his mind with his newest Family member.

He slipped the magazine out of the chrome handgun he was holding, and handed it to Ken, who reluctantly took it. "Tell me what you see on this gun."

Ken looked closely. In all rights, it looked like a regular pistol. But when he moved to the handgrip, he saw an anomaly. A tiger's face, mouth open in a roar, etched into the grip, meticulously designed.

"The White Tiger emblem..."

Davis nodded. "In modern times, it has become somewhat of a trend for Families to identify themselves with a certain type of weapon. Now it doesn't mean that all members carry them around, usually only the Don or high ups. My Family, the Motomiya Famiglia, uses the IMI Desert Eagle."

He paused. "Matt Ishida, according to a few of the cars I put into the chase, used a Smith and Wesson 500. An artillery piece disguised as a revolver, basically. Although they are not illegal, and are production handguns, they are almost never seen in Canada, and certainly never carried by so called government agents. It takes a skilled and collected person to even use it effectively, like Ishida had done, in firefights."

"So you believe that Ishida may be part of some Mafia Family?" Somehow, it didn't surprise Ken that the backstabbing lying piece of scum was Mafia material.

"Of course, this may just be a coincidence, but if that is indeed the case, then Matt Ishida is part of the Takaishi Famiglia. The Blue Dragons." The boss said with slight scorn in his voice.

"Blue Dragons?"

"Indeed. They're a very prominent Family operating in America. Specifically in Chicago."

Ken felt his insides turn to ice.

-01210-

"Sora Takenouchi. Known to most by her nickname, Holly. A respected officer. She volunteered to dress up like me and be the surrogate target, because her facial features were closest to mine."

Matt nodded from his side of the massive couch. Kari's loft was huge, almost excessive, since she didn't put a lot of furniture and decorations. But there were no shortage of photos on the walls.

"It's tragic really." Kari continued from the other end of the sofa. "I've known Sora for almost all my life. She was like a second mother, really. But what's saddest was that she was deeply, agonizingly in love with my brother. The only reason she joined the police and worked her ass off to get into a high position was so she could be close to Tai. She never worked up the guts to tell him thought, and now she never will..."

Matt had never actually met Holly...er...Sora, but listening to Kari talk, she seemed like the kind of person who puts others before herself, who tirelessly works to achieve. Her characteristics were very rare in today's world. Very rare indeed.

"Do you blame yourself?" Matt asked.

Kari looked up, eyes red. "I can't help it. I guess it's survivors guilt or some shit like that, but I don't care. Tai never should've sent so many policemen just for my sake. I'm not worth more than any of their lives...

"Besides, if the media ever got their grubby hands on this story, shit's gonna hit the fan." She laughed humourlessly. "I can already imagine some overly made up anchorwoman slut droning about this breaking news."

Matt sighed. It was true. If the news ever found out 8 policemen died just to protect the police chief's sister, they would be eaten alive by the public.

"You know what Kari?" Matt said gently. "If the Tigers were willing to go to such ridiculous lengths just to get you, maybe you are worth all the sacrifices made today."

That didn't really do much to lift her mood, but she knew her blonde bodyguard was just trying to cheer her up. "Yeah, they really outdid themselves. I heard that they even melted the helicopter dashboards to cover their escape." Kari snorted. "Bastards are everywhere."

Matt opted to not say anything, and watched the brilliant orange dusk sky stretching across downtown, the CN Tower silhouetted against the background, a breathtaking scene painted against the massive loft windows. One could get used to living in a place like this.

"Like the view?" Kari asked.

"You bet. Makes for spectacular pictures."

"Why else would I have picked this place?"

Matt turned to see Kari smiling a genuine, warm smile.

"Well, it certainly can't be for space, you barely have any furniture."

"Hey, l like my life to be simple." She leaned back into the soft couch. "Though sometimes you can't help things getting complicated."

Matt understood all too well. If only she knew who he really was.

"Kari."

"Hmm?"

"Tai's gonna find out what happened today. He won't be happy."

The young brunette sighed. "Tai's always hovered over me, even now, when I'm a full blown adult. I think I'm a part of the reason why he joined the police instead of playing soccer, so he could watch over me. Sometimes it's a bit much, but I guess if today taught me anything, I'm really glad that Tai's who he is to me."

That was something Matt could relate to very, very well.

"You've definitely grown a lot. The last time I saw you, you were, what, 6 years old?"

Kari chuckled. "I don't really remember any of that anymore. You dropped out of touch, though I remember Tai was always on the phone with you when he was still a kid."

She turned her head and examined the tall, handsome blonde who would spent the next few days right beside her, to protect her from, if today was any indication, very possible threats.

"But look at you now. A secret government agent. How absurd."

"Would your brother be inclined to do something drastic about the Mafia threat after hearing about today?"

Kari was caught off guard by this sudden change in topic. "What do you mean?"

Matt absentmindedly pulled the Smith and Wesson from his leg holster. Kari watched him twirl the comically large pistol around in his palm.

"Since Tai is so protective of you, wouldn't this push him to try to bring down the Tigers? He is very capable of doing so, I've seen him lead."

Would Tai really? Kari knew that Tai was reluctant to start a full, dedicated campaign against the White Tigers, because the expense was too much for the limited amount of men and equipment the TPS had. But there was another, more personal reason why he hasn't put full effort to stop Motomiya. Would he really look past both of these just for her sake?

"I truly hope he doesn't. It would be a stupid venture, a risky one that would take nearly the entire police force. We wouldn't have enough men to manage daily duties."

That's what Matt suspected Kari would say. And she was right, it would be very unwise under current circumstances for the police to wage war against the White Tigers.

Unless they had a little help from the Blue Dragons, that is.

"Kari, I need to head down to the lobby to meet up with a contact of mine. Be back in a few minutes."

"Okay."

-01210-

Matt waited patiently for the Boss to arrive. The Tigers showed today that they were much more dangerous and aggressive than the Boss first thought. This forces some changes to the Blue Dragons' plans. But for now, thanks to the Boss, one step of their plan was complete. Kari was alive and under their control.

"Hey."

Matt jumped. The voice was uncomfortably close, and he hadn't heard anyone come near him. He spun around to look at the amused expression on the Boss's face.

"That never gets old." TK Takaishi mused. It was rather incredible how the Boss of the Blue Dragons was amused by simple things like scaring his men.

Matt shook his head, slightly annoyed. "Simple minds, simple pleasures."

"Wow, excuse you. Since when has the boss's underlings talked so rudely to him?"

"Since the underling helped save the boss's life back when he was just a kid."

TK grinned. "You're never gonna let that go, are you?"

Matt reciprocated the grin. "No, sir."

It was uncanny how close the two were. Even their appearances were very alike. The blonde hair, unnaturally blue eyes, tall skinny stature. In fact, plenty of new Blue Dragon members had confused the two, often calling Matt the boss. This had advantages and disadvantages.

Matt took a long look at the Boss. He was dressed causal, and appeared like any other patron, if not for the gun holster carrying the Smith and Wesson on his side.

TK sighed. "Well, let's get down to business, I only have a few minutes. As you probably guessed, things went to hell today."

Matt nodded. "I got the hint somewhere down the line."

"The Tigers were expecting the early move."

"I don't know how, though. I am certain that the plan was discussed in complete isolated privacy, and shared only with trusted senior communiqué."

"Which leaves one possibility."

Matt frowned, then the realization dawned upon him. "The rat! He must be able to access more than we thought. Motomiya's got it set with that guy. Even if Tai moves to take him out, that rat could give the Tigers a massive advantage."

TK nodded. "Unfortunately, nothing new on his identity. But at least we know that he has limits. Not even police headquarters knew we switched up the target until this afternoon. They're searching for possible info leaks in their system now, but they won't find any."

That leaves them with not a lot to work with. It's going to be tough to get rid of the White Tigers, but then again, they came into this city expecting Davis to pull all the dirty tricks.

"You think Izzy can find him?" Matt wondered.

"I have no doubt he can. When we do, we kill him without police involvement. Things will get easier as soon as he dies, and Davis knows it. He may already know that Blue Dragons are in the city."

"What do you want me to do then?"

"Scour Federal level files. Be careful though, we expect an attack on you soon. Meanwhile, we'll get all the info we can from Kari. Once we've prepared, we take over this city."

Matt nodded firmly. "I pledged my full loyalty to the Takaishi Famiglia. I will do all in my power for the advancement of the Blue Dragons."

"And so will I."


End file.
